Ajit Karn
Brussels, Belgium: On Tuesday, Finland becomes the 31st member of NATO, a historic event that prompted the Kremlin to threaten “countermeasures”
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2014 shook up Europe’s security landscape and prompted Finland and its neighbor Sweden to abandon decades of military neutrality.
“Not so many years ago, we believed Finland’s membership to be inconceivable. Now they are a complete member of our alliance, which is genuinely historic,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated.
“By eliminating Moscow’s ability to miscalculate NATO’s willingness to defend Finland, we make Finland safer.”
Ahead of the choreographed final formalities before Finland’s blue-and-white flag is raised in front of NATO’s headquarters, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen described the situation as “win-win.”
Moscow, however, condemned the action as a “threat” to Russia’s security and national interests.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, stated, “This compels us to take tactical and strategic countermeasures.”
By joining NATO, Finland becomes subject to Article Five, which states that an assault on one member “shall be considered an attack against them all.”
As they observed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s devastation of Ukraine, this was the assurance Finnish leaders decided they required.
“He desired fewer NATO troops along his boundaries. He desired to shut NATO’s entrance. No additional European countries will be admitted to NATO. “He is receiving the exact opposite,” stated Stoltenberg.
Strong military
Finland, which has a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) frontier with Russia and was invaded by its larger neighbor, the Soviet Union, in 1939, did not join NATO during the duration of the Cold War.
Now, its membership introduces a formidable military with a wartime strength of 280,000 soldiers and one of Europe’s greatest artillery arsenals into the alliance.
Its strategic location reinforces NATO’s defenses along the frontier between the vulnerable Baltic states and the increasingly competitive Arctic.
Admiral Rob Bauer, a senior NATO military commander, told AFP that Finland has not yet requested that its new allies station personnel on its territory.
NATO officials assert that the conflict in Ukraine has diminished Moscow’s military strength, but the alliance is observing Russia’s response to assess its future actions.
Awkward companions Finland’s proposal to join NATO was delayed by Turkey and Hungary, each for their own reasons, and Stockholm’s progress remains stalled.
However, the Turkish parliament voted last week to remove Finland’s final obstacle.
The completion of the ratification in well under a year makes this the alliance’s quickest membership process in recent memory.
NATO was established as a counterbalance to the Soviet Union at the beginning of the Cold War, which began promptly after the Allies’ victory over Nazi Germany.
Sweden soon?
The alliance had hoped that Sweden would join at the same time as Finland, so the alliance’s acceptance of Finland is melancholy.
Budapest and Ankara remain the only holdouts after reluctantly approving Helsinki’s bid.
Sweden has angered Viktor Orban, one of Vladimir Putin’s closest European allies, by expressing concern over the rule of law in Hungary.
It has also enraged Turkey by refusing to extradite dozens of suspects linked by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to a thwarted coup attempt in 2016 and a decades-long Kurdish independence movement.
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NATO diplomats hope Erdogan will become more amenable if he survives the upcoming elections and that Sweden will join NATO prior to the July summit in Vilnius.
“Sweden is prepared to join NATO,” tweeted United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Ukraine is also seeking eventual NATO membership, but Western diplomats consider this a remote possibility.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated, “There is no better strategic solution for ensuring strategic security in the Euro-Atlantic region than Ukraine’s membership in the alliance.”
In the meantime, NATO members assert they are committed to providing Ukraine with the weapons and support it needs to defeat Russia.
